Up until the mid 1950's, Mary's Assumption Feast had an octave — a liturgical eight day overflow. Each day's Mass prayers hearkened back to the 15th. Indeed, there were so many octaves for different feasts they sometimes overlapped. The liturgical calendar was rather like an over decorated room. Still, now that things are so pared down, maybe we can afford to give Mary's Assumption a little extra attention. We can pretend today is Tuesday in the Octave of the Assumption.
I found this charming postcard in Paris decades ago when I was a new priest. The photograph was taken by the French photographer Albert Monier in the 1950's. Of course, it is of four nuns standing alongside the much-loved Notre Dame Cathedral which is now being restored after the devastating fire of April 15, 2019. The construction of Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) began in 1163 and was not completed until 1345.
Perhaps the sisters were on their way to early Mass and have stopped to listen to the Angelus bells which ring at 8 A.M. I'd also like to think that after the Mass the quartet went off to a nearby patisserie where they shared Pain au Chocolat, Tarte Framboise, Millefeiulle and café crème.
Patty Griffin is an American singer/song-writer. Click below to hear her sing J'irai la voir un jour, a hymn to the Virgin Mary in her Assumption, written by Father Pierre Janin (born November 30, 1824). The singer remembers that her French Canadian grandmother used to sing the hymn to her as a lullaby.
The lyrics celebrate Mary's Assumption and that we will see her again in heaven. It is a hymn of comfort, hope and love. This recording was made at a live performance after a terrorist attack in Paris. We might be mindful of the great efforts being made even today as the cathedral is being brought back to life and that terrorist attacks are now frequent in many places around the world. Here are the lyrics to the hymn's first verse:
I will see her one day
in heaven, in my garden
Yes, I will see Mary
my joy and my love
in the sky, in the sky, in the sky
the last verse: I will go near her throne to receive my crown....
